The cleaning crew paused by the chrome dispenser, the rhythmic squeak of the mop bucket momentarily ceasing. A faint scent of bleach and ozone hung low over the wet grout lines, mixing with the slightly yellowed soap label mounted nearby. The stack of industrial paper towels, meant to restock the dispenser, was not folded haphazardly; instead, each sheet was meticulously coiled into a perfect, repeating geometric spiral. One worker knelt, adjusting the stack so the spirals sat flush against the dispenser mechanism, appearing unnervingly uniform. The late afternoon light caught the damp sheen of the tiles, making the orderly, impossible spirals look less like cleaning supplies and more like a carefully arranged display.
static · uneasy